Surprisingly, recent studies have shown that in a mouse glioma model, mTOR activity is restricted to the few cell layers closest to the perfused vessels, and that cancer cells within this perivascular layer are characterized by intense anabolic metabolism, and perivascular cancer cells exhibited enhanced tumorigenicity, migratory and invasiveness, as well as unexpectedly specific chemo- and radio-therapy resistance, all in a mTOR-dependent manner. The gene discussed is MTOR; the disease is glioma.